Avoiding litigation
Our inquiry noted examples of the failures to fully assess the impact on equalities and human rights from past policy and budgetary decisions, such as the current cost of settling historic equal play claims from local government or the number of modern apprenticeships which should have been available to disabled persons up to 2013/14, in comparison with those which were actually filled by disabled people.i Skills Development Scotland: Modern Apprenticeships – Disability Disclosure 2016, page 5, table 2, and Skills Development Scotland: Equalities action plan For Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland, Part 2 Framing the Challenge
The inquiry also noted cases where legal action against university was pending by disabled students on the grounds of the failure to meet their statutory rights under equalities legislation.